Abstract

Objective

To examine the association of physical fitness and obesity with academic achievement and the independent association between fitness and academic achievement after controlling for relevant confounders such as age, parental education, and body mass index in school aged children.

Study design

Cross-sectional study including 893 schoolchildren, aged 9-11 years, from Cuenca, Spain. Data were collected from September to November 2010. We measured academic achievement (mean of the grades obtained in several core subjects), physical fitness (cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and speed/agility), weight, height, and parental education. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the probability of being in high quartiles for academic achievement after controlling for potential confounders.